where it started with a new beginning
by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: Harry found something that made him realize that he wasn't so over things like he thought. Post War!AU, inspired by a pic from a HP group, potential canon divergence.


Note: potential canon divergence, Post War!AU

* * *

_Don't cry, Harry...don't cry._

He didn't know how he hadn't noticed the book before. Perhaps it was undiscovered because it had been hidden somewhere until the day he'd come there with Hermione. Something told him to go back to Godric's Hollow one more time, and perhaps that was why.

Only the book he held in his hands was more heartbreaking than he'd have thought it to be.

There wasn't a title on the front, so he had to investigate further. He called it his Auror instincts. When he opened the cover, two handprints were revealed. Underneath the handprints were his parents' names. He had begun to regret the idea of coming to deal with this alone.

The next page revealed two small handprints and two small footprints; they belonged to him. This was his baby book. Harry closed his eyes, taking in the moment. This could hold answers he didn't know he had. Memories he could treasure. It could also bring pain that Harry didn't want to dive into.

'_It'll be fine,'_ he told himself. '_I can handle it. Just another inner pep talk.' _

_Don't cry, Harry...hold it in._

On the next couple of pages, Harry saw pictures taped into the baby book with captions too girlish to be in his father's handwriting (he mentally noted that Hermione would kill him if she heard him say that).

One of the pictures showed Harry sitting on Remus' and Sirius' backs on a sheet surrounded by flowers. They were smiling while he clapped animatedly with a toothless grin.

Another picture was Lily holding Harry near a window. Half of her body was shadowed by the sunlight in the picture, but he could see her leaning and kissing his forehead.

The final picture he looked at was himself sleeping soundly on his father's chest. James' eyes were closed, but he could be seen smiling like he was pretending to sleep as the picture was taken.

Harry released a shuddering breath as he traced his finger over the picture.

_Don't cry, Harry...it's not too much._

He could do this; he just had to hold it in. Harry licked his lips, turning the page to find an entry written in his mother's handwriting.

"_Sirius tried his best, he really did. Yet nothing would change the fact that Harry refused to say Pads or Padfoot. Harry cooed at him, reached for that unruly hair, and even laughed at Sirius' antics. He would never say his name. Instead, he would call him 'Pongs'. In fact, everyone was 'Pongs'. I could have been extremely upset over the matter, but it was his first word. And I could never be upset with our baby having such a tender, early memory of his father. That and it's been driving Sirius mad all day. The expression is rather priceless."_

Harry couldn't help but laugh softly. His mother was right; the expression he imagined his Godfather having at the misfortune was kind of funny. He'd have given anything to see it in person one more time. Thankfully, he had finally gotten over it.

As he turned the page to see what was next, Harry found it to be blank. Frowning, he flipped through the next couple of pages and found them blank as well. That was it, so abrupt. There was nothing left to look at. With a moment of fearful clarity, Harry flipped back to the page and glanced at the date of the entry; it was dated two days before his parents were killed.

His hands trembled as he held the book in his hands; Harry took a deep breath in order to calm down. All he needed was one more inner pep talk. One more would get him through this.

_It's okay to cry, Harry...let it out._

That wasn't his little voice in his head. It was his mother's. He could see her in his mind smiling at him, holding him in her arms. That's all it took for the dam to break. The tears cascaded down his cheeks, a few drops hitting the blank page. Harry quickly closed the book and dropped it to the floor as he dropped to his knees, releasing all the pain and grief he thought he'd let go.

It took a previously undiscovered detail...his baby book...for him to realize it.

* * *

It'd been a few months since Harry had opened his baby book. He was sitting in the living room at Grimmauld Place, the book in his lap. With a deep breath, Harry opened it to the last page with an entry. He smiled somberly, tracing the words on the page. He then turned the page to the next blank one and grabbed his wand.

He learned (if he could call two weeks of getting hit with a wooden spoon learning) a charm from Molly and Ginny for this sole purpose.

Casting the charm, ink appeared on the blank page. Within seconds, the ink lines had woven around to make prints. He then set his wand down and grabbed a quill to write underneath the prints. _James Sirius Potter_.

It was only fitting to start where his parents left off.

* * *

A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments) and The Houses Competition

(THC) House: Gryffindor; Year: 6th Year Stand In; Category: Drabble (200-950 words); Prompt: [Word] Undiscovered

(HSWW) Assignment #5 Careers Advice Task 3: Write about trying to prevent something. (Prevent from crying)

Word Count: 856


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